I have nine rental properties with decks that I have been maintaining for up to 14 year and I have
tried nearly every product available from Home Depot and Lowes and paint stores and hardware
stores. What I learned the hard way is that water based product do not work as well as
oil based products and all of the solid pigment deck coverings that basically look like built
up paint and impart a solid color will look fantastic for a short time and is the best to prepare
a property to sell (by hiding damage) but it is the worst to keep for a long time. The problem is that
the solid color layer chips off in the hi traffic areas and under chair legs and table legs
the paint cracks and flakes etc. There is no easy way to fix or update that condition because
you cannot just retreat the flaked or chipped areas. The repaired spot will be a different
color and new paint on the good parts will not adhere that well. Thus the solid color
restoration products are essentially a one time use products because in 4 or 5 years
when the deck needs treatment again... what are you going to do? Sand off the old
covering first ? ? ?
So - I only use oil based deck treatments that can soak into older weathered boards
and do not result in a top opaque coat that could flake or chip off. These coatings
are essentially thinned boat deck varnish with some tint of your choice that soaks into
the wood and when dry can act somewhat like glue to hold the UV damaged surface
layer of the wood together. I use multiple coats that are all put on wet. It is essential
that successive coats be applied after the first coats soak in a little bit. if only for a few minutes.
But do not let the coating dry because the next coat will not adhere.
What I will do is paint two or three deck boards and coat from one side of the deck to the
other and then go back to the other side of the deck on the same boards and cover the
same boards again and will put on as much as the boards will soak up. Maybe even up
to three coats if the wood is still soaking it up.
My product of choice for the last few years is from a company called FLOOD and called
CWF-UV5. I pay about $30 a gallon in 12 or 15 gallon quantities.
It is oil based and tinted in a variety of colors. On one situation where
no one would have thought the wood could be saved because it was in such terrible
condition, I actually thickened the deck coating by mixing in one third part of an exterior
oil based polyurethane varnish. The wood has to be super dry to soak in this mixture
deep into the wood damage layer. Before I used this mixture I mixed and tested several
different mix versions of about 8 ounce qty each and tested on actual deck.
Of course only treat deck boards that are on safe deck skeletons and have good strong
railings etc. Usually only the wood that the sun shines on is prone to rapid decline
but poorly pressure pretreated 2x lumber underneath could sometimes rot or
the wrong screws could have been used and all rusted away.
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Posted by: 2scott@bellsouth.net
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